Josip Juranovic knows firsthand what can happen when you let Mykhaylo Mudryk go full throttle.
Just before the half-hour mark in the 1-1 Champions League group stage draw between Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic in September, the coveted Ukraine international fired up the afterburner, roasting Juranovic like a turkey Thanksgiving Day and smashed the ball past Joe Hart and into the back of the visitor’s net.
In fact, Mudryk has recorded the fastest top speed in the entire Champions League this season. Only Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele can keep up with Arsenal’s goal, whose land speed record of 36.6 km/h leaves even Alphonso Davies, Kylian Mbappe and Rafael Leao in his wake.
“What a player the 21-year-old looks like. He’s lightning fast,” said Nick McPheat, the BBC reporter stunned by Mudryk’s almost supernatural pace en route to that superb solo strike against the Celtic in Warsaw.
“I’m not kidding when I say Mudryk is possibly the fastest player I’ve ever seen.”
Mykhaylo Mudryk is the fastest player in the Champions League
Nor is it a classic case of “too much speed, not enough haste”. Mudryk, unlike, say, Fulham’s Dan James, is as quick upstairs as he is on the ground. There is an end product to go along with its rocket-propelled bursts. In fact, Mudryk averages a goal or an assist in every game he plays right now; seven goals and seven other assists in 14 matches for Shakhtar Donetsk.
“Mudrik is the hottest young footballer in Eastern Europe today. Real Madrid are really interested in him. Really,” Ukrainian journalist Igor Tsyganyk told Football Hub. there have also been contacts and informal conversations with (The Gunners).
“Also, as far as I know, Shakhtar are seriously considering the possibility of renewing Mudryk’s contract. There are three real options; Arsenal, Real Madrid and a new contract at Shakhtar.
In May, Gabriel Martinelli named Nuno Tavares, now on loan from Marseille, the fastest player currently at Arsenal, in a chat with Premier League Productions. By the time he returns from his stay across the Channel, Tavares could have some serious competition.
In other news, Bayer Leverkusen interested in signing West Ham star Vladimir Coufal
